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Low OG

Worthog

Worthog

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Apr 12, 2012
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I have been brewing extract recipes and seem to have a chronic low OG  problem. I am following the recipes to the word but for recipes that are supposed to have something like 1.05 OG I am getting something like 1.032.
I am taking my sample after bringing my primary carboy up to volume and just before I pitch my yeast. I am adjusting for temp. as well.
Does anyone have any idea what might be going on?

Thanks!
:eek:
 
How are you brewing?  There are a lot of areas that could account for this.  I'm guessing that there is a miss where you are topping off your carboy.

It might be more helpful if you could attach the recipe you are using.
 
I agree with glienhard. Please explain your approach/procedure.

What about dimensions and (metric) systems, conversion tables etc. Are you perhaps missing something there?

Regards,
Slurk
 
Well it's all pretty straight forward.

I steep my grains, remove grains and sparge with a small amount of hot water. Then I bring the wort to a boil add the extract. I then boil for the perscribed amount of time before adding the bittering, flavor, and aroma hops. Following the boil I cool my wort and place it into my primary glass 6 gal carboy. I then add enough preboiled cool water to bring the volume up to 5 gal. This is when I take my sample.

I don't understand how any of this could effect the OG though. I am using approx 6-7lbs of extract in my all my recipes.
I have checked my measurements at least 3 times. I work in a pharmacy so I have a very solid understanding of measurements and conversions. The only step that I can see where it might effect the gravity is if I was overfilling my carboy with too much water at the end when I bring it up to 5 gal, this would dilute the wort and reduce the gravity, but I am not overfilling. The gravity should be at least close. Right?? I mean the sugar is in the pot correct?
The only other thing I can think is that my hydrometer is messed up. How can I test that?

Confused!
 
What you describe all sounds good.  6-7lbs of extract should be enough to give you a 1.050-1.060ish beer.  That would be given a 60min boil.  How long are you boiling?  As for testing your hydrometer, use some distilled water and it should read 1.000
 
Yes, I am doing a 60 min. boil.
I'll test my hydrometer and let you know what I come up with.

Thanks
 
I then add enough preboiled cool water to bring the volume up to 5 gal. This is when I take my sample.
Click to expand...

Do you give it a good stir first? If you just pour water onto a sugary wort, it will float. It won't mix on it's own. A sample from the top will appear low (and a sample from the bottom will have a high reading).
 
MH, that is a good thought.  When I brew extract, I always do a full wart boil so I never have that issue.  Nice catch
 
Maine,

Great information!! This may be my problem, thinking back I don't remember mixing or aerating before I took my sample. I'll make it a point to mix before I take the sample. I'll post to this thread to let you know the outcome.

Thanks!!
 
Had a very similar problem a couple of weeks ago.  I did a partial mash for an Imperial IPA with a starter.  I chilled the wort in the kettle, pitched the starter into the carboy, then aerated the wort as it poured into the carboy, then topped off with about 1.25gal, then took an adjusted OG 1.032.  I bottled last night with an adjusted FG at 1.016.  There is NO way this beer could be at 2.2%abv, so I'm thinking that the combination of the aerated wort, top off AND pre-pitch, must have skewed my initial reading. 

Any thoughts?
 
I'm thinking that the combination of the aerated wort, top off AND pre-pitch, must have skewed my initial reading. 
Click to expand...

I'm thinking you didn't mix in the less dense top-off water in that well, and it floated on top of the heavier wort. Thus your reading was inaccurate.
 
Agreed.  Sounds like the same exact thing.  Make sure you stir it good after topping off.
 
Yeah, there's nothing imperial about 1.032 OG.  Either you forgot to put in 1/2 your extract, or.....that OG number is WAAAAY off.

ALWAYS take an SG/volume/temp reading of the cooled pre-boil wort while still in the KETTLE.  (Take a sample, cool it, measure it).
ALWAYS take an SG/volume/temp reading of the cooled post-boil wort while still in the KETTLE. 
ALWAYS take an SG/volume/temp reading of the cooled wort after transfer to fermenter. 
ALWAYS take an SG/volume/temp reading of the cooled wort after TOP-UP in the fermenter fermenter. 
When you switch to all grain (everybody does), take the same measurements at every step in the mash-tun, too.

ALWAYS stir your wort very well before taking a sample. 
Always, continue to mix your sample in the sample jar to keep it from temperature striating. 
always keep the temperature probe in the sample until seconds before you take your reading.  If you want to be really anal about it, take a temperature measurement afterwards and use the average for your temperature correction.

You never know when you are going to run into a problem, until its too late to take an identifying measurement.  if you have the data you can generally figure it out.  If you don't you just kinda have to guess.  It doesn't add that much time.  Even taking all these measurements, I can do a full all-grain batch in about 3 1/2 hours total (from sanitizing...to pitching).

Oh, and if you take a measurement and it doesn't make sense or match your recipe....stop and figure out why, RIGHT THEN.  You can possibly correct it, if there is really something wrong.  But, there isn't much you can do about it 2 weeks later!

 
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